D&D General How Weird Do You Like Your D&D

[Reynard]

Thinking about it, I don't think "weird" is the right word for the title, because that makes me think of Weird Tales and stuff like that. This is really about how fantastical we like our D&D. I like medium-hot fantastical. Like my salsa.

As OP, I can say with confidence I meant weird. You can have fantastical without weirdness. For example, The Wheel of Time.

 

[Reynard]

I like weird elements, but I don't like weird worlds. Sticking to recognizable tropes is highly underrated (and gonzo creativity is overrated) in a game where players are dependent on the DM's powers of description for their sensory perception, and where they can attempt to do anything but will be unable to attempt anything if they don't understand the unspoken rules of the setting. Keeping the basic surroundings familiar ones with familiar rules makes for better gameplay.

But having players meet a character, thing, or (on a limited scale) setting that is completely out of left field makes for some of the most memorable gaming moments.

This seems to suggest an excluded middle.

 

[Shiroiken]

I prefer fairly straightforward, with occasional bouts of wtf weirdness. This helps make the weirdness feel even more weird.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I am not sure there's much more we could learn from a poll even if we could figure out a viable set options.

Plus, I find polls dilute the conversation sometimes.

Fair enough!

 

[Reynard]

I do tend to cluster my weirdness. THIS dungeon or forest or village is capital-W Weird. I have never really thought about it before but I think it is because I want the freedom to treat the rest of the world as essentially "normal" (ie withing regular genre tropes) to reduce my workload. Weird can be exhausting. It has the added benefit of making the weird feel weirder by comparison, but that's not my primary goal. My primary goal is, essentially, laziness.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Oh now I have to steal this for the eventual "space astral pirates" story my players will adventure through.

(Edit: Don't worry, there will also be githyanki space pirates and other things. That much has already been established. But a medusa pirate-queen going up against the githyanki? That's too good to pass up.)

Ixalan is amazing. I highly recommend checking more of it out if you like that artwork.

It also has religious vampire conquistadors and magical elder dinosaurs.

There's a Planeshift article for it, too:

https://media.wizards.com/2018/downloads/magic/plane-shift_ixalan.pdf

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

As for how weird I like D&D, one of my favorite settings is Spelljammer and my favorite race is the gnome. So pretty high up on the weirdness scale.

 

[Reynard]

As for how weird I like D&D, one of my favorite settings is Spelljammer and my favorite race is the gnome. So pretty high up on the weirdness scale.

You can go now.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Ixalan is amazing. I highly recommend checking more of it out if you like that artwork.

It also has religious vampire conquistadors and magical elder dinosaurs.

There's a Planeshift article for it, too:

https://media.wizards.com/2018/downloads/magic/plane-shift_ixalan.pdf

While I appreciate the setting, it would be too like something I've already used (minus the vampire conquistadores) and would not gel with the space pirate concept. I'll keep it in mind if I ever run a subsequent campaign.

 

[MGibster]

"Fantasy" is a very broad genre, even when "constrained" by the tropes and assumptions of D&D. It can be grounded and realistic after a fashion,or wild and weird. So, how weird do you like your D&D adventures, worlds and characters.

I think the problem with this is that D&D has become so famliar that it doesn't seem weird any more.